Life is Reasons
by kthicks97
Summary: Crossover with 13 Reasons Why (didn't have a category) TV Show. After leaving Arcadia Bay, Max and Chloe hit a car. After saving her, Max ends up loosing Chloe anyway. Dealing with her lose, she meets Clay, who is grieving the death people in his life. After telling Max about the tragedies, Max discovers a solution to all his pain, but at what cost?
1. 1- The Accident

***Warning, This story contains triggers concerning rape, self-harm, addiction, and suicide. If you are suffering from depression or thoughts of suicide or self-harm please seek professional help.***

Max looked at Chloe in the truck as they left Arcadia Bay. She couldn't believe how much damage the storm had done, how many people were now gone from her life, but at least Chloe was finally safe. They had been driving for hours before someone finally spoke.

"Man, that storm was scary. For a second, I thought you were going to go back." Chloe remarked, a hint of relief in her voice. Max was a bit surprised, she thought that she would be sad. After all, she just lost her mother and stepfather. Then Max remembered, Chloe didn't think of David the same was Max did, he never saved her or Chloe, he just seemed like a huge douchebag.

"Chloe, I have to tell you some things." Max wasn't sure she was ready to remind Chloe of all that she lost.

"Wait, I don't want to think about anything right now." Chloe stated, avoiding any feelings she may be having.

"Are you sure? Maybe we should..." Max's sentence was interrupted by Chloe's screams. She looked out the windshield just as the car crashed into them.

* * *

Clay stared at his ceiling. He was in huge trouble for skipping school, but he didn't really care. He enjoyed his time away and for the first time since Hannah died, he felt like things would be okay. Of course now he had heard about Alex and his mother dropped the bomb that he would be going back to counseling because of his recent behavior. So, naturally, he did what any rebellious teen would do and went straight to his room and slammed the door. Fuck his mom's 'no closed doors' was a teenager and that door would be closed if he wanted it to be.

He punched a pillow for about five minutes before realizing how useless it was. He had flopped down on the bed in anger, and now all he could do is stare at the ceiling, feeling time tick by and he had nothing to do, nowhere to be, and no one to see. How pointless it all seemed. He lost track of how long he had been laying there, but in the time he had been there, his mom opened his door, talked at him about the importance of counseling after a tragedy and then leaving because he refused to talk to her, had his dad come in to try and talk, and managed to count 352 little specks of whatever was on his ceiling.

He didn't feel any need to get up, even though he could hear his mom talking to his dad about her worry about him and the sizzle of whatever Dad was cooking for dinner. They barely talked anymore and when they did, it was usually about how to handle him and the stupid court case. It was only stupid in Clay's mind because the school was guilty, even if his mom would argue otherwise. He knew it, as did eleven other people.

He sighed, and slowly lifted himself up. He ran down the stairs and out the door, briefly calling out that he was going out and ignoring whatever his parents said. He grabbed his bike and just started riding, anywhere away from his house. He stopped just in time to see the ambulance pass at a rapid rate. His heart started to pound, it couldn't be. Another suicide maybe? Or worse. He sped after it, hoping to catch a glimpse of who was in there and what had happened.

* * *

Max could barely open her eyes. All she could hear was muffled voices and that high pitched sound movie editors think is a good idea when a character blacks out. Man that noise sucked. She tried lifting her head only to find it was impossible.

"You need to stay still ma'am," a voice cautioned her. Max gave up with lifting her head and tried talking, maybe to ask a question.

"Chloe," was all Max could manage. The voice didn't respond so Max started to panic. Once again she tried to raise her head, this time she managed to get her upper body somewhat up from where she was laying, but a hand forced her down.

"You need to keep still, ma'am. You may have head trauma," the voice cautioned again. This time, Max asked a bit louder.

"Chloe?"

"Your friend is in another vehicle. Hold still we are almost to the hospital," the voice reassured her. Chloe was okay, as far as Max knew. Yet she couldn't help this feeling that something was wrong. She tried to get her eyes to focus and make out some of the fuzz that she saw. She managed to make out the details of a woman, a bag of some liquid, and a long tube. She tried to connect the dots, it took her a long time to realize that she was in an ambulance.

"Chloe..." was all she could manage to say, but she wanted to ask where she was, was she okay, and what about the other car? Did they survive? Were they okay? They seemingly came out of no where.

"Maxine? I need you to concentrate. Do you know where you are?" the voice, belonging to the woman by her, asked.

"Ambulance."

"Yes, do you know what your full name is?" The woman was holding something in her hand. Max squinted, trying to make out what it was. Her vision was slowly clearing, but all she could make out was the woman was holding some sort of card.

"Maxine Caulfield."

"Maxine, how old are you?"

"18"

"Maxine, do you know what year it is?"

"It's... um..."

"Okay Maxine, we are taking you into the hospital now, you're going to feel a lift," the woman said. Max closed her eyes and imagined seeing Chloe again.

* * *

Clay didn't recognize who was in the ambulance, just a girl. She had short, brown hair. It reminded him of Hannah's. He didn't stick around to find out what happened, but another ambulance followed and he ruled out a suicide. He decided to bike home, whatever happened he was sure his parents were worried.

Once he got home, his parents practically tackled him.

"Um okay? I wasn't gone for that long," he sassed.

"We thought you might have been in the accident." his mom remarked.

"No, what accident?" he asked. Maybe they had heard what happened.

"A truck was coming in from out of town and collided with Sheri's car." his dad answered. He didn't look at Clay, which wasn't good news.

"Was anyone hurt?" he asked. He worried, Sheri had been a mess since Clay confronted her about visiting Jeff's family.

"There was only one survivor," his mom said silently. Clay was frozen. It had to be Sheri, this other person couldn't be the one to walk away.

"What do you mean? It was Sheri right? She'll be okay?" Clay rapidly fired his questions, raising his voice louder and louder with each, denying the truth that his mother subtly presented him.

"Honey we don't know all the details..." his mother confessed.

He ran. He didn't even bother with his bike, he just wanted to get away. From what he wasn't sure. First Jeff, then Hannah, Alex, and now Sheri. He couldn't take it anymore. How many more would die? What was happening to this town?

Somehow he ended up back at the hospital. He went in, not really sure of what would happen. It was busy, as expected. He walked up to the receptionist.

"Excuse me, there was a brown haired girl in an accident today? I need to see her." He told her, not really sure why they would let him see her.

"Are you family?" she asked. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, but only family is allowing in to see her. Do you even know her?" He shook his head again. She sighed and pointed towards the exit. He slowly started walking back, then quickly dashed around back. The receptionist either didn't care or didn't think about what he did, because no one chased him. He looked around, lot of people were sick, but none seemed like they just survived a car wreck. They must have checked her in to a room upstairs. He went to search for an elevator or stairs. Once getting an elevator, he didn't even know what button to press. He sighed and pressed two, figuring he would work his way up.

Floor two was surgery, probably not what he wanted, but there was a sign saying which floor was what. Floor 5 seemed most likely. So he punched the 5 button and headed up. There he walked past each room, hoping to get a glimpse of the girl, finally finding her in room 502. The tag by the room door said M. Caulfield. It must have been her name. He went in and the girl just stared at him. She looked helpless in the bed, IV lines running out of her arm, her head bandaged, one wrist was also wrapped. Clay couldn't help himself and simply blurted out one thing.

"Hannah."


	2. 2- Mutual Loss

***Warning, This story contains triggers concerning rape, self-harm, addiction, and suicide. If you are suffering from depression or thoughts of suicide or self-harm please seek professional help.***

He called her Hannah. She had no idea who Hannah was nor why he called her that.

"Max, actually. Who are you?" she corrected him.

"No one, just a community member." he answered, not really revealing anything.

"I see, if you don't mind, I actually want to be alone." she rudely snapped. Her bag was laying on the only chair in the room. Officer Standall had being kind and brought that and Chloe's belongings. Max couldn't stand to look at them, after hearing she was the only one to survive the crash. The guy just walked in, moved her bag, and sat.

"You killed my friend." he stated, not even looking at her.

"Excuse me? I wasn't driving and she was in our lane, not the other way around. And for your information, I lost someone too." Max was angry. How dare he come and accuse her of something she didn't do. She didn't need this right after losing Chloe.

"Oh," he simple said, still not looking at her. They sat in silence. She still didn't want him there, but it didn't seem that that mattered.

"Why did you call me Hannah?" she asked. He looked at her finally. It was then that he burst into tears.

* * *

He could only see Hannah. This girl looked like her so much. He couldn't bring himself to explain. How could he tell this girl who just lost someone too that this was the fourth friend he lost. That Hannah was his first love. Or that he hated her for simply living. He thought he should leave, that's what the girl wanted, but he couldn't bring himself to move. Instead he sat there and sobbed.

"I'm Max." she said. He looked up. She had tears running down her face, but not quite like he did. She didn't have a snot ridden nose or red eyes, just tear streams.

"Clay, who did you lose?" he thought that if she talked maybe he could too.

"My best friend, her mom, her stepdad, my friend... Everyone," Max stated staring in his eyes.

"What happened?" he was trying hard to be kind since she had lost people close to her as well.

"A storm hit our town. Chloe and I survived. We were driving through here when that car hit us." she was barely able to get that much out before bursting into tears. Clay came closer to her, he took her hand, the one that wasn't attached to an IV.

"I lost the love of my life a few months ago. She killed herself." he stated, hoping that Max would be able to understand slightly why he was upset. The bandage on Max's wrist just made Clay think more about how Hannah had taken her own life. Max squeezed his hand.

"I know what that's like," she sympathized.

* * *

Kate Marsh. Max thought of her flinging herself off the school roof. She wasn't able to save her, her power had failed her then and it failed again in the crash. Maybe Chloe wasn't meant to live. Then what was the point of destroying Arcadia Bay for her? Only to lose her hours later. Max couldn't help but break down. She had sacrificed all those lives for Chloe and in the end it didn't even matter. Chloe was still destined to die, after all Max went through to save her.

"I'm sorry," was all Max could say.

"I've lost a few people in these past few months. But she was special, you know?" he asked. Max nodded. She had given so much to have Chloe live. But it wasn't enough.

"I.. haven't really talked about it..." he confessed. Max nodded again. Stuff like this wasn't easy.

"Trust me, I don't talk about my shit either," she tried to comfort him. He chuckled through his tears.

"Her name was Sheri. The other girl in the accident," he informed her. She hung her head. She wished she could go back like before, tell Chloe to switch lanes, avoid hitting her. After the events in Arcadia Bay, Max was unable to go back, she tried. Maybe she was ultimately meant to make that choice and be done with time manipulation. Maybe she was never meant to save Chloe. Who knows, maybe she was just crazy.

No one would remember Kate jumping. No one would remember Mr. Jefferson going on the San Fransisco trip. No one knew Chloe once was in an accident, or that Max had chosen not to let her go. After all she had done to save her she wasn't going to kill her. Now none of that mattered, Chloe and everyone in Arcadia Bay were gone and Max was alone.

"I'm sorry, I wish I could change it." She wished she could still do it, but maybe it was better that she couldn't.

"I wish I could change a lot of things," he admitted.

* * *

Clay didn't know what to feel. He got up and headed for the door.

He came here angry, wanting to blame the only survivor, and now he was leaving feeling sorry for her. Max seemed nice, quiet, kind of a loner. He wondered if she would have gotten along with Hannah. Everyone seemed to get along with her for a while. Eventually things would go south and everyone let her down, even Clay himself.

"Too bad we can't, but maybe that's for the best." said Max. Clay spun around, and simply stared at her.

"So you're okay with people dying? Just letting them go? What if you could have helped?" he was angry again.

"Maybe you can't do anything. Sometimes things happen and there's just nothing you can do. People shouldn't mess with things they don't understand." she stated forcefully. Clay would give anything to be able to change the past. Max didn't understand him at all. He couldn't believe that he was just thinking about how she and Hannah would get along. Max would have fucked Hannah over just like everyone else.

"Fuck you." Clay left angry. A cleaning cart was left in the hall. He threw it against a wall and watched supplies roll off and the cart fall. The cleaning lady yelled at him, but he didn't care. He left, not wanting to deal with them anymore. The walk home he could only think about Sheri, Hannah, and Max. He was angry. Angry that Sheri wasn't paying attention. Angry that Max survived. He wanted to be angry at Hannah, but somewhere in the back of his head he knew he couldn't be. He heard the familiar rumble of his friend's car. Tony pulled up beside him.

"Need a lift?" he asked, driving along Clay walking.

"Yeah, I could." He stopped walking, waited for Tony to stop and unlock the doors, then climbed in and sat angry in Tony's car.

"You seem upset." he stated the obvious.

"Yeah, I visited the girl who survived the accident." Clay admitted. Tony raised his eyebrow.

"How did you know?"

"My parent's told me. Fuck. FUCK!" Clay screamed, not caring that he was still in the car and it sounded louder than it actually was. Tony jumped.

"Hey, warn me next time. Come on, let me show you something." Tony started driving again, taking him past his house and to the town line. Sheri's car and an old pick up truck were there. The car's front end was smashed going to the left, like Sheri was going to turn and was hit, but they were in the middle of the road. The truck wasn't too damaged, but the windshield was shattered, and a giant hole was in front of the driver's seat. She must not have been wearing a seat belt, at least that's what Clay thought. He looked at Sheri's car again and noticed blood splattered on the windshield and down the hood. The windshield was caved in. Clay looked away, he didn't want to think about how things happened.

"Sheri was texting me. She asked for help. Said she was worried about hurting herself. I asked her where she was. Told me she was on her way out of town, had to get away from it all. Didn't see the truck until it was too late." Tony explained. Clay clenched his fists and tightened his jaw.

"I don't get why you brought me here." he stated.

"To move on. We've lost a lot of people, no use getting mad at everyone, especially those who aren't at fault." Tony clarified. Clay looked at him. For the second time that day, he just sobbed.


	3. 3- The Nightmare

***Warning, This story contains triggers concerning rape, self-harm, addiction, and suicide. If you are suffering from depression or thoughts of suicide or self-harm please seek professional help.***

He felt stupid. Tony insisted that he come back, maybe thinking that Max would make a good friend, maybe because he knew Clay was being a jerk. Either way, Clay stood outside room 502 the day after he accused the girl inside of murder, then sympathized with her, and then cursing at her out of anger. He sighed. He knew that the longer he took to actually go in, the worse it would be. Yet he didn't move a muscle.

"I can hear you breathing dude." Max called out weakly, Clay froze, then just put one foot in front of another. Max was standing, fiddling with her bag that was slouched in the chair.

"So what's on the list today? Gonna call me a thief or something?" She didn't even stop to look at him.

"Why would I call you a thief? Did you steal something?" Clay asked stupidly, completely missing Max's sarcasm.

"Well I didn't really murder anyone but that didn't stop you from calling me a murderer," she pointed out.

"Yeah, about that..." Clay started, but Max interrupted him.

"I get it. You really don't have to say anything else." He chose to remain silent. It suddenly dawned on him that Max wasn't in the hospital gown and was fully dressed. She still had most of the bandaging, but it looked like she was going home.

"Are you being released?" he asked stupidly.

"Yeah, not that exciting. I don't really have anywhere to go," she mumbled barely loud enough for him to hear.

"Well you can stay with me!" Clay blurted, not thinking how completely inappropriate it was to ask a girl, let alone a girl who he had recently accused of murder and had just met a few days ago. Max stopped messing with her bag and finally looked at Clay.

"Dude, did you really just asked me to stay with you?" Clay nodded his head, the realization of what he just did now setting in.

"And you do realize that I am of the female gender? And eighteen?" she pointed out to him, only making the holes in his offer more obvious than before.

"Well we can let you stay on the couch. My dad has a soft spot for kids, mostly me. I'm pretty sure he and Mom won't mind letting you crash for a few days." Clay hoped to god his parents weren't going to freak out. He was sure that they wouldn't turn her away, but these days he didn't really feel like he knew them that well anymore.

"Well I'm not sure how long I'm staying. Chloe was kind of my driver." Max admitted. She was playing with a bracelet on her good wrist.

"Well do you have anyone else we can call?" Clay asked, hoping she would say yes so he could reassure his parents that her situation was temporary.

"I'm pretty sure I don't. Look if it's too much trouble I'll..." Max was interrupted by a slow knock on the doorway.

"Hello? Maxine Caulfield?" a familiar voice asked. Clay turned around.

In the doorway stood Mrs. Baker, Hannah's mom.

* * *

It was Andy's idea. He thought that maybe having someone in their lives for them to care for would help them move on. Not that anyone would replace Hannah. Olivia couldn't bear the idea that someone would. However, perhaps being a part of the community meant offering their help in the face of tragedy. She had made the expected casserole for the Hollands and she offered her condolences even though she wanted to scream about how their precious child killed her sweet girl. Olivia knew better though, Sheri didn't kill Hannah. Hannah killed herself. There really was no one to blame in the end, at least that's what the therapist says. Olivia had been in therapy since listening to the tapes. Slowly, she could live peacefully through each day.

"That's me, who are you?" the young girl asked. Olivia sighed. She looked broken, a little like Hannah did, before. Olivia decided to stop thinking about Hannah and focus on Maxine.

"I'm Olivia Baker, my husband and I heard that you had come into town and was in an accident and may need residence until you are completely better. We would like to offer our home to you," Olivia recited with little emotion. Andy really should have been the one to handle this, but he was working at the pharmacy, trying to avoid bankruptcy.

"Are you sure? It may be a while before I can go." Maxine replied.

"We understand. We are fully prepared for you to stay for however long you need." Olivia only agreed to this after thinking about how kind Hannah was, she would have insisted that they care for her, even though they didn't know her.

"Okay, well I guess it's a better option than a guy's couch." Maxine accepted. Olivia scrunched her brows, and then for the first time since entering the room, noticed Clay.

"Oh, hello Clay, how are you?" she asked. Clay shrugged his shoulders.

"I'm doing better, and you Mrs. Baker?" he replied politely.

"One day at a time." She thought for a moment, "Hannah's gravestone is done. They're placing it tomorrow." Clay nodded. Maxine looked confused.

"So you know this Hannah too, huh?" Maxine hinted at.

"She was my daughter." Olivia replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Maxine looked ashamed.

"It's okay, it was a while ago." Olivia was silent for a moment. She looked around the room. Hannah didn't get a room, she was taken to the morgue after being announced dead on site.

Maxine was already dressed and she seemed to only have her bag. That was okay with Olivia, she still had Hannah's clothes, they looked to be about the same size.

"We should get going, is all your paperwork filled out?" Olivia asked. Maxine nodded. She reached for her bag, but Clay grabbed it first, handing it to her. Olivia remembered how polite he was. She wondered what kind of life Hannah would have had if she had taken a chance with him.

"All ready." Maxine said. She had her bag over her shoulder, gripping the strap tightly.

"Okay, the car is downstairs. We'll need to stop by the pharmacy to get your prescriptions. My husband, Andy, has already had them filled for you. We'll also grab some dinner, what would you like, Maxine?" Olivia was hoping that everyone was right and that this girl would help her deal with Hannah's death.

"I'm fine with anything. Oh, and you can just call me Max."

* * *

It felt weird leaving with Olivia. Max wasn't sure if Clay was offended by her decline of his offer, but it was weirder thinking about sleeping on a dude's couch. She didn't want to think of what went through his head when he offered. She wondered though what the Baker's were thinking, taking her in. Especially after loosing their daughter. She wasn't sure if that was who Clay was referring to as the love of his life or if she had lost her life some other way, but Max wasn't going to ask. She knew that they probably didn't want to talk about it.

"Are you still in school, Max?" Olivia asked, obviously trying to fill the silence with awkward small talk.

"I guess, technically. My old school was kind of destroyed in a storm," she admitted. She wouldn't tell Olivia that it was all her fault or that she could once go back in time.

"Oh was that the weird storm in Washington? We saw that on the news," Olivia remarked. Max just nodded.

"I don't mean to be rude or anything, but is it okay if I doze a bit? My head still hurts from the accident." Max was desperate to avoid talking about anything that happened in Arcadia Bay.

"Of course, I'm just going to run by the pharmacy, or do you want me to show you around the house first?" Olivia asked.

"Go ahead to the pharmacy first, I'll just sleep a bit in the car." Max replied. Olivia nodded and turned onto a main road. Max leaned against the window and let the vibration of the running car lull her to sleep.

* * *

 _She was on the outskirts of town. Right where the accident happened. Clay was standing with her, he looked scared. It was storming, rain hit Max's skin hard, almost like hail. Leaves and fliers were blowing everywhere. Max's hair was whipping around her head._

" _We can't outrun it, Max, what do we do?" Max wasn't sure what he was talking about, but it was clear almost immediately. A tornado was tearing the town apart. Max was paralyzed._

" _No, this can't be happening again. I swear I don't even have my power anymore! No, no, NO!"_

* * *

"NOO! CHLOE!" Max woke screaming, Olivia and a man with her were shaking her awake.

"Max? Are you okay? What happened?" Olivia asked, concern washing over her face.

"Oh, I'm sorry, just a bad dream. That's all." Max quickly lied. Something deep inside her told her it wasn't a bad dream. It was a warning.


	4. 4- Reminders

***Warning, This story contains triggers concerning rape, self-harm, addiction, and suicide. If you are suffering from depression or thoughts of suicide or self-harm please seek professional help.***

Max was scared. Last time she had a dream like that Arcadia Bay started having weird phenomenons, and then the storm. Not only that, but she was able to rewind time, not something she wanted to experience again. She quickly made a promise to herself, and to Chloe. No rewinding time.

"What happened? You were yelling. I could hear you inside the store. It scared me," Olivia remarked, her voice full of concern. She was so motherly, it was hard for Max to imagine her without a child.

"I just... had a bad dream. I swear, nothing is really wrong. Maybe a bit of PTSD." Max was unsure if post-traumatic stress disorder was really applicable to her, but it seemed to calm Olivia a bit.

"The car wreck, of course, that must have been extremely traumatizing." Olivia commented, reassuring Max. She was glad that she wouldn't have to explain that it was more than the wreck.

"Yeah, pretty traumatizing." Max wouldn't tell the Baker's about Arcadia Bay. They didn't need to know, especially since they had their own loses to deal with.

"Well, maybe you should wait to nap again until we're home. Waking up in a vehicle can't be very helpful," Olivia advised. Max nodded, although she felt safer in a car knowing that if a storm hit she could drive away. Maybe she should warn the Baker's. They were caring for her after all.

"Okay, I'll try to be quick. We aren't that busy today." Olivia assured her. Max nodded and settled into her seat. She needed time to mentally prepare herself for this storm, just in case.

* * *

"She had a bad dream, that's all," Olivia reassured Andy as she walked in. He had first heard Max screaming. He nodded, and resumed finding her medication. Olivia leaned on the counter, sighing loudly. She rubbed her neck and watched her husband work, admiring how despite all that has happened, he was still working like normal.

"Do you think it's too soon? That maybe it's insulting to Hannah's memory that we let some stranger stay in her room, wear her clothes?" Olivia asked. Andy paused, then quickly resumed his search.

"No, I think Hannah would appreciate that we aren't sitting around, rotting away wishing she were here. Of course we want her to be here, but we have to face facts, she isn't. Maybe with helping Max we can learn to live again." Andy replied, clearly trying to think of how to phrase his words right.

"I don't want to live. Not without her." Olivia admitted, not for the first time.

"We need to. For Hannah." Andy lovingly said. Olivia nodded.

"But maybe taking someone in is too much. Like we're trying to replace her." Olivia voiced.

"No one could ever replace her, dear. But we can't ignore a person in need, especially since everyone ignored Hannah's needs." Andy pointed out. Olivia stared at him. It was true, even her own parents ignored Hannah's needs.

Suddenly the door chimed and Max walked through.

"Hey, I just couldn't sit out there anymore. Being alone with my thoughts, well, it's kind of depressing." Max explained. Olivia nodded. She knew how damaging being alone in your thoughts could be. Max wandered around the store a bit, picking up random items and examining them. She soon came to the counter and leaned next to Olivia.

"I just wanted to say... thank you. You guys totally didn't need to do this for me," she expressed. Andy smiled softly at her.

"It's our pleasure," he reassured her. Max smiled back. Suddenly she took out an older Polaroid camera and took a picture of the lettering on the window. Olivia was surprised, it didn't seem that significant, until she noticed a small, blue butterfly under the 'R'.

"Sorry, I'm totally a photography buff, well, I was at my old school. A teacher kind of ruined it a bit. But one can't pass up on a good shot." Max explained. Olivia wondered what she meant.

"Well, here is your prescription, Max, the instructions are in the bag. Now, you want to make sure that you don't operate machinery on this medication, as it will make you drowsy." Andy handed Max the prescription and Max shoved it in her bag.

"Thanks, do you know why they gave me anything? I thought my injuries were minor," Max asked. Olivia looked to Andy for answers, as he would know better.

"Well, they're actually anti-depressants." Andy explained, avoiding Olivia's gaze.

"Why? I'm not depressed." Max insisted.

"You may have shown signs of being depressed. I also put some mild, over the counter painkillers that they recommended in there. You aren't required to take the anti-depressants but I would strongly suggest you do if they were prescribed to you." Andy said. Olivia couldn't help but think of Hannah, maybe if they had been more aware, she would have had anti-depressants. Olivia would give anything for that alternative.

"Okay, I'll follow the doc's orders then," Max agreed. Andy nodded and let the silence wash over them.

"I should take Max home, show her around and her room." Olivia wasn't sure if she meant Max's room or Hannah's.

"Good idea, then Max can get some rest." Andy jumped to agree. Max simply nodded.

* * *

She had chickened out. Telling the Baker's about the storm was the goal, but once she saw their faces, she couldn't. They didn't need the stress. Max scoffed in her mind. _They wouldn't believe me anyways. Who would?_ Max decided to put it from her mind and concentrate on Olivia's house tour. She had spent the car ride beating herself up about it and now she was done. If signs started to show up like they did in Arcadia Bay, then she would warn them.

"And this will be your room." Olivia said, opening the last door on the right. It was full of a girl's stuff. Max walked in, feeling like she was stepping through a shrine dedicated to a girl. Posters riddled the wall, not like Max's old room that had her wall of her own photos. The thought of photos of herself riddling her wall now terrified her. She cursed Jefferson for ruining her image for her. Max looked around the room and saw a mirror. All she could see was herself, tied in that chair, needles poking into her neck as Jefferson's camera flashed. Max shook her head, she would not let Jefferson haunt her. The bastard deserved to burn in hell, she just wished she had trusted David more along the way. He wanted what was best. Of course, that reality never really happened. Sometimes Max would forget that so many things never happened, such as Kate's suicide, Chloe's car accident, and being kidnapped by Jefferson.

"You can... use the clothes here. If they fit of course," Olivia added, a hint of regret in her voice. Max nodded and went to look in the closet. Most of the clothes were pretty basic, about her size. She figured she'd stick to jeans and plain shirts. She had some money on her so she decided she would get some clothes. She thought of Rachel, the outfit shoved in Chloe's closet, the almost kiss between them. Max couldn't see herself actually kissing Chloe, but she had. Of course, Chloe would have never remembered. Max chickened out and rewound time. It felt weird, but almost necessary.

"I can buy some. Just to fit my style a bit more," Max said, and Olivia seemed to be a bit relieved. She smiled at Olivia, trying to reassure her a bit. From what was unclear to Max.

"Well, I will let you settle in. If you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen. I think we'll just order pizza for dinner," Olivia informed her. Max nodded. Pizza sounded good, safe. Max found herself missing Joyce's cooking. She couldn't pick a favourite dish, but she loved breakfast.

Max looked over her new room again. The mirror was missing something, but it took a minute for her to realize what it was. She reaching into her bag, still slung across her shoulder, and pulled out a picture. It was of her and Chloe, one of the few items that seemed unaffected by the constant time changes. Chloe looked so happy, better. Max situated the picture in the mirror frame. It was perfect, Max was unsure as to why, but it was.

"Max? What kind of pizza would you like?" Olivia called from the kitchen.

"Pepperoni is fine," Max called back. She looked around the room again before leaving. Olivia was sitting in the kitchen, looking at papers.

"Hey, is it okay if I go out and explore a bit? Promise I won't get too lost." Max joked.

"Sure, I guess I can save some pizza for you." Olivia said, not looking up from the papers. Max nodded and walked to the door. She wondered what she would find around town.

* * *

Clay sat in Monet's with a cup of coffee between his hands. He should have gotten hot chocolate. Instead he had his cup of coffee and stared at the motionless liquid. A chair at his table was slid out and he looked up. Jessica sat in the chair, slouching.

"I heard about Sheri," she stated. Clay nodded, tapping the cup with his fingers. They were both silent.

"There's a new girl. She's staying at the Baker's," Clay added. Jessica stared at his cup. She got up and came back a few minutes later with a hot chocolate. She slouched down and slowly sipped her hot chocolate. Jessica seemed to be completely apathetic to the news of Max's arrival. She hadn't been the same since she told her father about Bryce, who went after him. Bryce was put into the hospital and Jessica's father was dishonorable discharged from the Air Force, now facing charges for assault. Not that Bryce didn't deserve it. If Clay could, he would have done the same, instead he had to bring Bryce down a different way.

"How is your dad?" Clay asked, thinking about the trial. Just one of many lawsuits occurring in town.

"Surprisingly fine for someone who lost their job and might go to prison," Jessica laughed. Her attitude had changed since Bryce was beat. It made Clay feel better, that at least one of Bryce's victims was seeing justice.

"We actually are counter suing Bryce. Our lawyer says that if we can prove Bryce... did what he did, we could play the assault as self-defense and possibly put Bryce away for a while. But the lawyer says that he'll be glad just to have the assault charges lifted," Jessica added, being more honest with Clay than she had ever been. Since the tapes they had started hanging out more, but she never really talked to Clay about the subject of the tapes or the fallout of everything. Clay was glad she was finally able to talk.

"That's good. How are things for you?" he asked, concern about her mental health. He may not have been able to save Hannah, but he would do everything to avoid letting anyone else make the same mistake.

"I've actually been going to therapy. I reached out, like you said I should," Jessica answered, staring at her hot chocolate instead of Clay.

"Good, I'm glad you're getting help," he replied.

"Yeah, she's really nice. I guess she specializes in PTSD or something. She makes me feel... safe, I guess."

"You deserve to feel that way."

"That's what she says." They were silent again. Occasionally they would sip their drinks, but mostly they sat there. Clay stared out the window. He wasn't really watching for anyone, but a face stuck out to him.

"Max?"


	5. 5- Hopeful

***Warning, This story contains triggers concerning rape, self-harm, addiction, and suicide. If you are suffering from depression or thoughts of suicide or self-harm please seek professional help.***

Max turned and saw Clay and a girl sitting in the cafe. She quickly went in the door and went straight for his table. She felt like if she was going to tell someone, it may as well be the person who was in the dream with her.

"Dude, I have something I need to tell you," she rushed. The other girl sitting there shifted and crossed her arms. Clay stared at Max. Max could feel her heart racing.

"Well I guess I'll take off, nice talking with you, Clay," the girl said as she got up.

"Take care, Jessica," Clay said back. Jessica left and Max was now sitting alone with Clay.

"Okay, what did you need to tell me?" Clay asked, looking uncomfortable. Max took a breath to calm herself down enough to tell Clay about her dream.

"Something bad is going to happen. I don't know when, but I know a tornado is going to destroy this town." Hearing herself say it out loud, she thought she sounded insane.

"Um that's kinda messed up. We aren't even in a tornado zone. We never get tornados." Clay looked even more uncomfortable.

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, but I had a dream," Max insisted, not really making her look any more sane. Clay brought his cup closer to him and started pushing his chair back.

"Okay, um, I think maybe you should take a look at whatever meds the pharmacy gave you, because that is kind of insane." Clay talked slowly, as if he was trying to avoid confrontation. Max groaned.

"The same thing happened in Arcadia Bay," Max added. Clay stopped moving, then scooched his chair back to the table and leaned in close.

"The place with the weird weather stuff?" he asked.

"Yeah, the beached whales, birds flying into windows at an alarming rate, snow in the middle of summer, a solar eclipse! It all ended with a huge storm that wiped out the town and everyone there. Well, almost everyone..." Max could feel the guilt wash over her. It was her fault that the storm hit.

"Oh man, but how do you know that?" Clay asked. Max sighed.

"I caused the storm. The weird weather, everything. I... I could time travel," she admitted. Clay stared at her wide eyed.

"That's impossible. Time travel isn't real," Clay claimed. Max rolled her eyes. She wondered, if she had a dream, maybe she could rewind time again. She stuck her hand out and closed her eyes. There was a familiar whirling sound as time moved backwards.

"Oh, man, but how do you know that?" Clay asked.

"I can rewind time," Max stated, amazed that she could again. Clay laughed.

"What? Time travel? That's not real." He claimed. Max chuckled, Chloe didn't believe her either.

"Okay, I'll prove it, I will tell you exactly what is in your pocket." Max claimed.

"Then do it." Clay demanded. Max stared at the table. What would a teenage guy have in his pockets. She thought about it, and then remembered that if she told him some crap he would pull everything out of his pockets.

"Exactly 52 cents, and a stick of spearmint gum," Max stated, confident that she was really wrong.

"Nope, nice try though," Clay chuckled. Max grined.

"Prove it," she challenged.

"Okay, I will," he reached into his pants pockets and pulled out a tube of Chapstick, a key, and three dollar bills, two quarters, and four pennies.

"Good, now I'm going to rewind time," Max claimed. She put her hand out, closed her eyes and let the whirling sounds of time surround her.

* * *

Clay didn't know why he was continuing to let Max claim she was some sort of time traveler. He was positive she wouldn't be able to name one thing in his pockets.

"Okay, you have a tube of Chapstick, original flavour. You also have a key, possible to a bike lock, it's too small for a house or car. And you have $3.54 broken down into three dollar bills, two quarters, and four pennies," Max listed. Clay froze. Her answer was definitely detailed. She couldn't be right though, that was impossible. Pretty quickly Clay emptied his pockets on the table. There sat a tube of original Chapstick, his bike lock key, and $3.54. He stared at the contents of his pocket amazed, then at Max. How the hell could she have known that when he himself wasn't that sure of what was in his own pocket.

"How the hell did you do that?" he questioned, unable to figure out how exactly she was able to do it.

"I told you, I can rewind time. You told me exactly what was in your pocket. I just rewound time and repeated it." Max stated. Clay just stared.

"So what else can you do?" Clay asked, curious how far this thing could go, he hoped that maybe... no, he wouldn't let himself get his hopes up.

"Not that far, unless I have a photo," Max explained. Clay thought about the photo Jeff had sent him of him and Hannah dancing at the winter formal.

"So, if you were to see a picture, you could go back to then?" Clay asked.

"I don't know exactly, every picture I've done that with I took or I was the subject. And it was only for a small amount of time. Not to mention that manipulating the past that way can have deadly consequences. Hell it destroyed an entire town. I just, I don't know why this is happening again," Max was whispering now. Probably to avoid letting anyone in the quiet cafe hear.

"What do you mean again? Did something happen to your powers?" He asked, he was confused.

"After the storm, I lost my power, until now. I had the dream and then just trying to rewind time it worked again. Last time, it was an accident, I honestly don't know what is going on," Max admitted. Clay thought for a minute. Maybe it wasn't a coincidence she was here after all.

"Do you think, that you could maybe bring back someone? Like go to the past and save them?" Clay asked. Max looked down, avoiding his gaze. Clay wondered what she was thinking.

"I have before."

Max wondered if she was suppose to still save Chloe. However that would be impossible, unless she wanted to face the storm in Arcadia Bay again. It couldn't be about Chloe, or else her power would have kicked in before the accident. Maybe this time it wasn't about her.

"I saved my best friend. She was shot in a bathroom by a crazy rich kid. I went back in time and pulled a fire alarm, crazy right?" Max explained. Clay continued to stare at her. Max had a feeling that he was thinking of someone specifically.

"So you can save people. Isn't that a good thing?" he asked. Max sighed. She couldn't save Kate, plus the many times she saw Chloe die, and William. Saving William had been the worst choice she ever made.

"I don't know. I saved someone who changed everything. It turned out to be worse," Max answered, thinking of Chloe laying in that hospital bed unable to do anything, begging her to kill her. Clay looked down for a minute before looking back to Max.

"But things could only be better. Look, if she were alive..." Clay didn't finish. His eyes were full of tears and his voice breaking from choking back tears. Max understood, but she couldn't do all of it again. She wasn't even sure if she could without being there.

"You may think it would be best, but sometimes the universe is trying to tell you something. Besides I don't even know if I can go back if I wasn't present there."

"Can you at least try?" Clay begged. Max couldn't meet his gaze. Maybe this was the reason her powers were back.

"Would you be willing to do some things for me then?" Max asked.

* * *

Clay knew that if anyone would have snapped a picture of Hannah, it would be Tyler. The creep probably kept a bunch of them for his own enjoyment. The yearbook staff room was empty, except for Tyler. He was arranging pictures of basketball, mostly putting in pictures of Zach, apparently avoiding Bryce's picture.

"Hey, Tyler," Clay broke the silence. Tyler jumped, skewing the photos he had just arranged. He looked around a minute before seeing Clay and then glaring.

"What do you want?" he scoffed. Clay sighed, it wouldn't be easier for either of them, but Max had requested a picture of Hannah so best bet was Tyler.

"I was wondering if you had any pictures of Hannah," Clay asked.

"I got rid of them," Tyler replied quickly.

"Even innocent ones?" Clay asked. Tyle froze. He stared at Clay, a look of guilt smeared across his face.

"Well, I may have some from around school," Tyler sheepishly admitted. Clay felt a bit of relief.

"How long ago?" Clay asked. Tyler raised a brow, not quite understanding Clay's question apparently.

"I mean, how close to... you know..." Clay explained. Tyler nodded.

"I have one... the day... she... you know..." Tyler recalled. Clay wondered if it would be too late, guess he would just have to take it to Max and try.

"Can I have it?" Clay asked. Tyler laughed.

"And why the hell would I help you? Especially after that photo you took of me?" Tyler questioned. Clay hadn't thought about the photo for quite a while.

"Because it's for Hannah. You can hate me, but I'm going to help her," Clay knew it sounded insane, but maybe if he sounded insane Tyler would pity him.

"You're crazy, there is no helping her. She's dead," Tyler scoffed. Clay closed his eyes and gripped the nearby table.

"I'll tell my mom." A childish threat, but Clay knew she would know exactly what to do about a case like that.

"Oh boy, a lawyer, who would tell you that because Hannah or her parent's aren't going to press charges that it's pointless. Besides she probably already knows since Porter gave her the tapes. Nice move there by the way. You just couldn't leave things be," Tyler ranted. Clay clenched his jaw and balled his fists.

"I'll pay you." Clay finally said. Tyler's glare softened.

"How much?"

"Three bucks."

"At least a hundred or no deal."

"Where am I going to get a hundred dollars?" Clay yelled. Tyler shushed him, pointing at the cameras.

"That's your problem. Either you pay me a hundred bucks, or you don't get anything," Tyler offered. Clay scoffed and stormed out the room. Of course Tyler wouldn't make this easy on him. He walked quickly out of the school and headed for his bike. Max was probably at the Baker's, maybe Monet's. By the bikes stood Bryce. He was alone, which was unusual after school, usually he would be surrounded by a posse.

"Hey there, Clay buddy," he greeted cheerfully. Clay took a deep breath before walking towards him, hoping to maybe just brush him aside. Bryce, however, seemed to have other plans.

"Look, I just wanted... to... I don't know... talk maybe?" Bryce said. Clay wasn't that interested.

"I'm busy, Bryce," Clay spat angrily. He imagined how amazing it would be to see Bryce taken out in handcuffs.

"It's important. It's about... Hannah."

"What about her?"

"Those tapes. Why didn't I get them?" Bryce seemed genuinely curious. Clay scoffed.

"Because what would you had done? Burned them? Throw them out? Hunt down every one of us and threaten us? Like any of that would do any good, they would have been leaked," Clay rambled on, not even sure what his point was. Bryce sighed, like he was looking for something to say.

"Don't I deserve to hear them? Everyone else did," Bryce asked. His usual cheery facade was gone. Clay glared.

"Why do you care so much? Not like there's anything on them that you didn't already know. Well at least about yourself," Clay spat. Bryce looked down.

"Whatever, see you 'round I guess," Bryce brushed him off and walked away. Clay grabbed his bike and headed towards the Baker's.

At their house he stood at the front door for a minute. He thought about how it would feel standing here to take Hannah on a date. He wouldn't blow his chance, not this time. He knocked three times, slowly, allowing a few seconds to pass between each knock. Mrs. Baker answered, and looked surprised to see Clay.

"Oh, Clay. What a pleasure. Would you like to come in?" she invited. Clay stepped inside.

"Hi Mrs. Baker. I was just wondering if Max was here," he asked.

"She is, she should be getting up from a nap pretty soon. Her pain medication makes her a bit drowsy, but it's better than constant pain," Mrs. Baker replied. She seemed a bit brighter, like she had a purpose again. Clay wondered if it was because of Max. She had been staying with the Baker's a few days now and it seemed to be working out for the best.

"Do you enjoy Max being here?" Clay asked. Mrs. Baker held a tea towel in her hands. She was now sitting on the couch.

"I do. She has been a delight. I think she and Hannah would have been friends," Mrs. Baker shared after thinking a minute. Clay nodded, he thought so too. Maybe when everything was said and done they would be. Clay was still a bit skeptical, but there was a chance. Maybe he should just continue with his blind faith, but who knew, maybe Max was working one over on him.

"Hey, did I miss something?" Max asked, exiting Hannah's old room. Mrs. Baker just smiled.

"Clay was just asking about you," Mrs. Baker explained. Max nodded.

"So, do you want to go to Monet's?" Clay asked. Max smiled.

"I'd love a coffee," Max replied. Mrs. Baker smiled and waved as both of them exited the house. Clay was glad that Max had gotten a vehicle, a used red truck. Max had explained that it was money from the state reinbursing her her tuition at Blackwell Academy after the storm destroyed it. It must have been quite a bit, because she was able to pay in full for the truck.

Clay loaded his bike in the bed and jumped into the passenger side. Max was already in the truck, buckled in and ready to go. Clay buckled his seat belt and Max started driving.

"We have a problem."


End file.
